Eat Palm Beach County

It's 5 o' clock somewhere.....

5pm on a weeknight is Mummy's special time.... No, I'm not reaching for the martini shaker or uncorking the chablis but settling on my big comfy sofa in front of my big tv (as opposed to my teeny kitchen one) with my cup of tea and my absolute favorite Food Network Star, Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa; Premier hostess of the Hamptons.

I've yet to see Ina cook anything I didn't want to eat, lay a table I didn't want to copy or cook for anyone I didn't want to meet.  I have a major case of Ina envy. Heck, I'd even iron Jeffrey's shirts she'd throw in some breakfast.

Last night saw the airing of an episode featuring Ina rustling up an outdoor brunch for some rather fabulous Ralph Lauren clad chums.  Mia and I were watching together and she decided that Ina's Corn Muffins were to be on her menu for the following day. 'Oh Mummy, those look really delicious right?' (she knows I can't stand corn!).  Some negotiations were undertaken and Ina's Corn Muffins were promised for a post preschool treat.

 

Ina's Recipe is available in full by clicking here

The smell whilst these are baking is amazing, rich and buttery yet strangely as they're called 'muffin' they really don't seem half as sinful as they actually are. 

Ina says you get 12 from this mix, I got 16 but I was using kid friendly muffin papers. I also baked them on convection and they took about 5-7 minutes less than her recommended 30 minutes.

 

Mimi's Surprise!

I think I've made it plain I'm a fan.  Everyone should own at least one of Ina's books full of failsafe, authentic recipes.  Her latest, 'Back to Basics' is a must have for anyone lacking kitchen confidence or who just wants a 'go to' book for every day.  

 

Do yourself, your kitchen bookshelf
and your family a favor and buy Ina's book HERE

Braised Short Ribs, Ripailles Style

Regular stalkers of my blog will know that I'm a megawatt Francophile.  I've been plugging 'Ripailles' by Stephane Reynaud for months now (a.k.a. 'French Feasts).  Its a true French home style cookery bible, a celebration of all those animal bits that only the French can make palatable; no entrail, trotter or dangly part is overlooked in this 299 recipe tome.

Try as I might, I just can't follow a recipe to the letter.  Rules, regulations, ounces, tsps, tbss, ugh, sometimes you've got to be creative; in this instance I took inspiration from the Bourguignon de joues de boeuf and the Boeuf braise aux carrots and produced some delectable, slow braised short ribs.

Here's a guideline to produce a similar ripaille.

 

Brown first, color = flavor

For 4-6 people you'll need:  6 boneless beef short ribs, (costco has great ones) 1/4 cup each of diced onion, carrot & celery. 1 cup red wine (something half decent) 1 clove garlic grated, 3 tbs olive oil, 2 tbs flour, 1 carton of beef stock, 1/4 tomato puree.

Firstly, heat the oil in a heavy based pan (I love le Creuset) and brown the ribs, in batches if necessary, don't crowd the pan.  Season.  Remove and add the carrots, celery, garlic & onion and saute until softened but not brown.  Add back the ribs, sprinkle over the flour and deglaze with the wine.  Reduce then add the stock, bring to the boil and place in a 325 degree oven for at least 2 hours or until meltingly tender.

Mimi was a fan of the 'chicken'!

Serve with pappardelle or any wide noodle.  If you've never slow cooked this way before you'll be amazed at the intensity of flavor you can achieve by merely adding a little wine & using those magic mirapoix!

Click here to treat yourself to a copy of Stephane Reynaud's formidable 'French Feasts'.

2 Hot Chicks, 24 Amazing Mince Pies....

Having been taunted by my brother, for at least two weeks now, about the fantastic array of mince pies and assorted festive patisserie available at Greggs and other local baking outlets, I decided enough was enough and it was time to run to the British Depot and pick up a box of overpriced, gnarly old Walkers mince pies just to get a little hit.  Imagine my shock and horror when I realized it had succumbed to the credit crunch and closed down!!!  Surely all those packets of prawn cocktail crisps, milky bars and bottles of fairy liquid I bought were enough to keep it afloat?! 

Not to be deterred by the misery and business failure of others, I came home, put the kettle on and consulted two of my favorite kitchen doyennes, Nigella & Martha.  No surnames required. 

 Nigella vs. Martha a ppv event if ever there was one...

First I made Nigella's 'Cranberry Studded Mincemeat' from her absolutely gorgeous book, 'Nigella's Christmas' that I've been hawking on my site for a while now.  However, I just can't betray Martha in the pate brisee department.  Her pastry recipe is so sublime that however delectable Nigella's sounded (and it really did) I felt I couldn't do a Tiger Woods on her.  I must stand true to the recipe I married when I first fell in love with it a couple of years ago.

 

Nigella's Cranberry Studded Mincemeat

Martha's recipe is available on her website: Martha's Pate Brisee.  Unfortunately Nigella is a little more stingy with her good stuff.  You'll just have to go ahead and buy the Nigella Christmas book and I really hope you do.  Never has a nice Jewish girl rocked Christmas quite like Nigella......until me!!

 

Truly the BEST mince pies I ever tasted!

click here to buy Nigella's fantastic holiday book